-t^dcw  Vvi_ 


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THE  WONDERFUL  STORY  OF 


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Qiristian  Missioos  in  Korea 


The  Results,  Conditions  and  Outlook 


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DESCRIBED  BY 


MISSIONARIES  AND  TRAVELERS 


Reprinted  from 

THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 
(February  and  March,  1908) 


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1908 

Women’s  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
Room  818,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


Price,  8 Cents  a Copy 


LL  POATCS  eN6R*6  CO.,  N.Y. 


PROTESTANT  MISSION  SOCIETIES  AND  STATIONS  IN  KOREA 

(Correct  to  January,  1908) 


1.  PRESBYTERIAN,  U.  S.  A.— NORTH 

Seoul,  Pyeng-yang,  Syen-chun,  Chai- 
ryeng,  Chong-ju,  Tai-ku,  Fusan. 

2. '  PRESBYTERIAN,  U.  S.  — SOUTH 

Chun-ju,  Kun-san,  Kwang-ju,  Mok-po. 

3.  PRESBYTERIAN— CANADA 

Won-san  (Gen-san),  Ham-heung,  Song- 
chin. 

4.  PRESBYTERIAN— AUSTRALIA 

Fusan,  Chin-ju. 

5.  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL— NORTH 

Seoul,  Pyeng-yang,  Yang-pyen,  Che- 
mulpo, Hai-ju,  Kong-ju. 

6.  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL— SOUTH 

Seoul,  Won-san,  Song-do  (Kai-seng). 

7.  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  PROPAGA- 
TION OF  THE  GOSPEL 

Seoul,  Chemulpo,  Su-won,  Kwang-hwa. 

8.  BIBLE  SOCIETIES — (American,  Brit- 
ish and  Foreign,  and  Scotch  Bible  So- 
cieties Cooperating) 

Seoul. 


STATIONS — With  Resident  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Societies — Indicated  by  Num- 
ber 

Chai-ryeng.  i. 

Chemulpo.  5—7. 

Chin-ju.  4. 

Chong-ju.  I. 

Chun-ju.  2. 

Fusan.  i. — 4. 

Hai-ju.  5. 

' Ham-heung.  3. 

Kong-ju.  5. 

Kun-san.  2. 

Kwang-hwa.  7. 

Kwang-ju.  2. 

Mok-po.  2. 

Pyeng-yang.  i — 5. 

Seoul.  I — 5 — 6 — 7 — 8 — 9. 

Song-chin.  3. 

Song-do.  6. 

Su-won.  7. 

Syen-chun.  i. 

Tai-k  i.  1. 

Won-san.  3 — 6. 

Yang-pyen.  5. 


9.  INTERNATIONAL  Y.  M.  C.  A. 


THE  GRADUATION  EXERCISES  IN  THE  MISSIONARY  ACADEMY  OF  PYENG  YANG,  KOREA 


SOME  KOREAN  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN,  SEOUL 


KOREA:  THE  UNIQUE  MISSION  FIELD 

BY  WILLIAM  T.  ELLIS 
Editorial  Staff  of  the  Philadelphia  Press 


Gradually  the  truth  is  sinking  into 
the  consciousness  of  Christendom  that 
Korea  is  not  like  other  mission  fields, 
and  that  the  urgency  of  her  claim  is 
not  simply  another  of  the  vig- 
orous appeals  from  foreign  fields  to 
which  the  ears  of  the  Churches  have 
become  sadly  dulled.  Korea  is  unique 
among  mission  lands  to-day ; it  may  be 
questioned  whether  her  case  has  ever 
had  a parallel  in  missionary  history. 

My  own  experience  has  been  akin 
to  that  of  all  other  travelers  in  the 
East  who  have  observed  missionary 
conditions.  After  a year  of  rather 
thorough  investigation  into  the  mis- 
sion work  of  the  Orient,  I have  re- 
turned an  enthusiast  for  Korea.  No 
other  work  appeared  to  me  comparable 
with  the  Korean  work.  This  is  mani- 


festly an  extraordinary  instance  of  the 
special  workings  of  a supernatural 
Spirit.  Some  aspects  of  Korea's  mis- 
sionary history  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  sagacity  and  farsightedness  of 
Moffett  and  Lee  and  Gale  and  Under- 
wood, those  statesmanlike  empire- 
builders.  Even  tho  they,  and  the  like- 
minded  men  and  women  who  have 
come  after  them  (for  the  Korean  mis- 
sions, both  Presbyterian  and  Metho- 
dist, have  an  unusual  personnel),  be 
credited  with  all  that  can  be  attributed 
to  them,  there  remains  a great  surplus 
of  marvelous  achievement  which  can 
be  accounted  for  only  by  charging  it 
up  to  the  still-working  Spirit  of  the 
Omnipotent  God. 

Others  may  go  into  the  history  of 
Korean  missions,  and  recite  those 


KOREA:  THE  UNIQUE  MISSION  FIELD 


moving  statistics.  My  part  is  to  tell 
a plain  tale  of  a traveler  returned. 
What  I saw  was  learned  in  a sojourn 
of  about  one  month  in  the  cities  of 
Fusan,  Taiku,  Seoul  and  Pyeng  Yang, 
and  itinerating  among  the  country  vil- 
lages. Considerable  time  was  also 
given  to  investigating  political  as  well 
as  religious  conditions,  interviewing 
Marquis  Ito,  and  lesser  Japanese  offi- 
cials, and  the  non-missionary  body  of 
foreigners  in  Seoul. 


believers.  When  she  learned  that  you 
are,,  she  insisted  on  coming  back  again 
to  tell  you  how  glad  she  is  to  meet 
you.” 

This  experience  was  frequently  re- 
peated. At  the  famous  mid-week 
prayer-meeting  in  the  Central  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Pyeng  Yang,  there 
were  twelve  hundred  worshippers, 
seated'  on  the  floor.  The  larger  wing 
of  the  building  was  filled  with  men, 
the  women*  occupying  the  other,  while 


THE  CHRISTIAN  WORKERS  TRAINING  CLASS  IN  PYENG  YANG,  KOREA 


This  class  in  the  Presbyterian  Mission  alone  now  numbers  over  2,000 


On  our  arrival  in  Seoul,  we  called 
at  the  home  of  a missionary  friend 
and  found  there,  calling  at  the  same 
time,  an  old  Korean  peasant  woman, 
who  had  walked  in  several  miles  from 
the  country  to  plead  with  the  over- 
worked missionary  to  come  visit  her  vil- 
lage. Her  errand  was,  I fear,  as  fruit- 
less, as  it  had  been  on  previous  occa- 
sions. After  this  quaint,  shining-faced 
old  figure  had  left  the  room,  she  re- 
turned, our  hostess  explaining.  “This 
old  woman  asked  me,  when  we  got  out 
into  the  hallway,  if  my  friends  are 


the  boys — beautiful,  olive-skinned  lads 
— who  reminded  one  of  that  other 
Oriental  Boy  who  loved  his  Father’s 
house — were  crowded  up  in  front 
and  even  on  the  edges  of  the  plat- 
form. Apart  altogether  from  its  pic- 
turesqueness in  a visitor’s  eyes,  that 
was  the  most  interesting  Church  con- 
gregation I ever  have  seen.  Alert, 
devout,  radiant,  they  were  an  argu- 
ment for  “old-time  religion.” 

At  the  close  of  the  service  the  men 

* They  had  to  leave  their  bushel-basket  hats  out- 
side—which  practise  might  profitably  be  adopted  in 
America. 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


thronged  to  greet  me,  not  because  of 
what  I had  said,  but  for  the  reason 
that  I had  been  introduced  as  a Pres- 
byterian elder,  the  highest  office 
known  in  the  native  Church  up  to  that 
time.  A Presbyterian  elder  is  proba- 
bly more  of  a personage  in  the  eyes 
of  these  sequestered,  newspaperless 
people,  than  many  of  the  celebrities 
whose  names  fill  our  public  press.  The 
greeting  of  the  Koreans  is  distinctive. 
No  Orientals  shake  hands:  the  Ko- 
rean does  not  even  shake  his  own 
hands,  Chinese  fashion.  Instead,  he 
clasps  you  by  the  wrist,  the  hand,  the 
arm,  the  shoulder,  and  by  the  pressure 
of  his  fingers  shows  his  pleasure.  That 
night  so  many  hands  were  laid  upon 
me,  in  genuine  and  enthusiastic  ex- 
pression of  pleasure  at  meeting  with 
a fellow  disciple  from  over  seas,  that  I 
thought  I would  find  bruised  spots  on 
my  body ! 

The  next  morning  we  left  Pyeng 
Yang  before  daylight.  The  railway 
station  is  built  three  miles  from  the 
city  proper.  The  morning  was  so  bit- 
terly cold  that  it  hung  icicles  from  the 
men’s  mustaches.  Nevertheless,  so 
strong  is  the  spirit  of  fraternity  among 
the  Korean  Christians,  that  nine  of  the 
elders  of  that  church  were  on  hand  at 
the  station,  to  bid  me  go  on  my  way 
in  peace.  The  incident  is  worthy  of 
the  attention  of  all  preachers  and 
speakers  who  have  been  addressing 
large  bodies  of  Christians,  and  who 
know  what  it  is  to  sneak  out  of  a 
strange  town,  alone,  unnoticed  and  un- 
missed, in  the  cold  gray  dawn  of  the 
day  after. 

Another  incident  shows  how  sim- 
ple is  the  faith  and  fellowship  of  these 
white-robed  saints.  To  them  the  tie 
of  our  common  religion  is  the  strong- 
est tie  of  life.  The  mere  fact  that  a 


person  is  a Christian  links  him  in  vital 
bonds  to  all  other  Christians.  I was 
going  along  a country  road — the  nar- 
row “highway”  of  the  Orient,  which 
illuminates  the  parable  of  the  sower — 
when  I saw  a young  coolie  coming 
toward  me  bearing  two  eight  or  ten- 
foot  lengths  of  timber,  of  telegraph- 
pole  thickness : the  Koreans,  be  it 
known,  are  the  most  heavily  laden  peo- 
ple on  earth.  Their  burdens  are  ter- 
rific. As  this  youth  advanced,  his  face 
began  to  break  up  into  a smile  of 
recognition,  until  it  was  beaming  radi- 
antly. Of  course  I perceived  that  here 
was  somebody  who  had  seen  me  with 
the  “moksa,”  or  had  heard  me  speak 
at  the  little  church  near  by,  and  there- 
fore regarded  me  as  a sort  of  mission- 
ary-in-law. So  I responded  with  the 
Korean  word  for  “Peace;”  and  as  he 
drew  nearer,  he  shifted  his  load  from 
his  shoulders,  squeezed  my  arm  and 
wished  me  peace.  For  a few  minutes 
we  fellowshiped  there,  he  not  knowing 
a word  of  English  and  I not  knowing 
six  words  of  Korean.  But  I had  op- 
portunity to  consider  once  more  that 
here  again,  in  an  overburdened  Ko- 
rean peasant’s  face  shone  “The  light 
that  never  was,  on  land  or  sea” — put 
there  by  the  Gospel  of  Jesus. 

These  Koreans  seem  to  have  a 
genius  for*  Christianity.  They  grasp 
it  with  a comprehension,  and  a com- 
prehensiveness, that  amazes  the  mis- 
sionary. Repeatedly  I was  told  that 
the  New  Testament  passages  which 
perplexed  the  foreign  teacher  were 
clear  to  his  hearers.  I myself  could  see 
how  wondrously  this  land,  so  like 
Palestine,  explains  the  Book.  I never 
felt  so  near  to  Bethlehem  as  when  I 
slept,  in  country  Korean  fashion,  un- 
der the  same  roof  with  the  cattle — 
altho  in  a different  room. 


KOREA:  THE  UNIQUE  MISSION  FIELD 


To  a degree  that  is  remarkable, 
Christianity  becomes  a normal  thing  to 
the  Korean.  The  wholesomeness  and 
naturalness  of  the  Korean  type  of  re- 
ligion are  very  refreshing.  The  con- 
verts do  not  “look  pious,”  nor  does 
the  missionary  have  to  go  around 
nursing  his  dignity.  That  company  of 
elders  who  escorted  me  to  the  train  at 
Pyeng  Yang  were  a merry,  jovial, 
whole-souled  crowd ; and,  while  the 
deep  things  were  touched  upon,  we 


lage.  The  missionary  and  myself  had 
not  unpacked  our  luggage  upon  our 
arrival  at  nightfall  before  there  came 
an  appeal  from  a village,  some  ten 
li  further  on,  for  him  to  go  over 
there  to  hold  a meeting.  The  village 
had  never  been  visited  by  a mission- 
ary; yet  it  contained  a group  of  ten 
believing  families,  evangelized  by  the 
Church  we  were  at  the  moment  visit- 
ing. Of  course  we  could  not  go,  any 
more  than  we  could  answer  the  many 


W.  D.  REYNOLDS  HORACE  G.  UNDERWOOD  JAMES  S.  GALE 


THE  BOARD  OF  BIBLE  TRANSLATORS  IN  KOREA  AND  THEIR  ASSISTANTS 


also  had  more  than  one  hearty  laugh, 
once,  I recall,  at  the  expense  of  the 
missionary.  Early  one  morning,  while 
itinerating,  a smiling,  red-coated  lad 
of  twelve,  whose  hair  hung  braided 
down  his  back,  showed  me  the  way 
to  where  the  wild  geese  were  feeding, 
that  my  borrowed  gun  might  try  to 
earn  its  freightage.  Two  hours  later 
the  boy  passed  a very  creditable  exam- 
ination for  baptism. 

How  the  aptitude  of  the  Christian 
Korean  for  personal  evangelism  shows 
itself  was  illustrated  in  that  same  vil- 


other appeals  that  came  to  us  from  all 
sides  during  those  few  days  of  itinera- 
tion. In  order  to  keep  his  engage- 
ments with  the  Churches  who  had  been 
notified  of  his  coming,  the  missionary 
was  unable  to  examine  all  the  candi- 
dates for  baptism  who  awaited  him  at 
every  appointment. 

And  such  examinations ! I sa'c 
through  one  for  several  hours,  having 
questions  and  answers  interpreted,  un- 
til the  atmosphere  became  too  thick 
for  me,  and  the  company  too  numer- 
ous— for  there  were  more  living  or- 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


g-anisms  present  than  showed  on  the 
Church  rolls.  Into  the  little  room,  per- 
haps six  by  ten  feet,  there  were 
crowded  (seated  on  the  floor  of 
course),  the  missionary,  four  elders, 
the  candidate,  the  journalist — and  the 
others,  unseen,  but  not  unfelt.  I have 
sat  in  many  session  meetings,  but 
never  have  I seen  such  close,  search- 
ing and  difficult  questioning  of  the 
candidates.  At  first,  it  seemed  to  me 
entirely  too  severe,  and  I remonstrated 
with  the  missionary ; but  he  knew  bet- 
ter than  I,  for  they  are  determined  to 
have  a pure  Church  in  Korea,  If  what 
I personally  observed  is  typical,  as  I 
have  reason  to  believe  it  is,  then  the 
Church  in  Korea  has  the  narrowest 
door  of  all  the  Churches  in  the  world. 

Apparently  no  missionaries  in  Korea 
are  doing  evangelistic  work.  They 
seem  rather  to  be  getting  nervous 
prostration  trying  to  keep  up  with  the 
procession  of  native-made  converts 
into  the  Church.  Every  Christian  be- 
comes an  evangelist.  The  homiletic 
gift  seems  instinctive.  They  are  “born 
preachers.”  In  devotion  to  the  Bible 
the  Korean  Christians  put  the  Churches 
at  home  to  blush.  How  they  will  walk 
scores  of  miles  to  attend  a Bible  class 
is  part  of  the  familiar  history  of  this 
romantic  mission  field. 

The  question  naturally  arises,  what 
is  the  deeper  meaning  of  all  this  ! How 
may  the  significance  of  Korea’s  Chris- 
tianity be  interpreted  to  the  West? 
For  surely  God  has  some  great  design 
in  raising  up,  as  by  a miracle,  this 
wonderful  Church.  He  has  not  kept 
this  nation  sequestered  for  millenniums 
for  no  purpose.  First  of  all,  it  seems 
plain  that  Christianity  is  to  be  the 


means  of  preserving  the  identity  of  the 
Korean  people  from  extinction  at  the 
hands  of  the  Japanese.  The  evident 
purpose  of  the  latter,  to  wipe  out  the 
Korean  nation  as  the  xVinus  were  wiped 
out,  is  manifestly  doomed  to  failure, 
because  in  a large  body  of  Koreans  the 
Christian  religion  has  created  a new 
manhood. and  womanhood,  a new  self- 
respect,  a new  social  consciousness,  a 
new  patriotism.  A score  of  years  ago 
Japan  might  have  succeeded;  to-day 
she  must  fail.  Altho  now  bitter  is  its 
process,  the  ultimate  outcome  of  the 
Japanese  regime  will  doubtless  be  ben- 
eficial. Japan  is  the  flail  for  the 
threshing  of  Korea. 

Even  this  end,  great  tho  it  be,  is 
scarcely  the  sufficient  explanation  for 
the  mighty  demonstrations  of  the  Liv- 
ing Spirit  in  this  one-time  “hermit 
kingdom.”  The  opinion  of  many 
thoughtful  missionaries  all  over  the 
Orient  is  that  in  Korea  are  being 
raised  up,  for  that  inevitable  day 
which  now  seems  nearer  than  many 
have  thought,  when  the  East  must  evan- 
gelize the  East,  a body  of  trained  and 
efficient  and  consecrated  preachers  of 
the  Word.  The  white  man  seems  to 
be  the  chosen  pioneer  of  the  kingdom 
in  these  days ; but  the  way  that  he  has 
blazed  must  be  followed  in  the  Orient 
by  help  of  Oriental  minds  and  man- 
ners and  methods,  who  can  have  the 
most  sympathetic  and  effective  ap- 
proach to  their  own  neighbors.  Who 
dares  to  say  that  Korea — feeble, 
scorned  and  despised  Korea — is  not  to 
become,  in  the  near  future,  the  dom- 
inant force  in  the  Far  East,  because 
appointed  to  bear  the  message  of  life 
to  all  these  people? 


MOUNTAIN  VIEW  OF  SEOUL,  KOREA 


THE  COUNCIL  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  MISSIONARIES  IN  KOREA 


THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  KOREA 

BY  REV.  HORACE  G.  UNDERWOOD^  D.  D.,  SEOUL,  KOREA 


The  story  of  the  Gospel  in  Korea — 
for  many  years  known  as  the  “Hermit 
Nation” — has  been  most  fascinating. 
Prior  to  the  terrible  persecution  under 
the  Tai  Wun  Kun,  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  the  early  history  of 
missionary  progress  under  the  Ro- 
man Catholics  reads  almost  like  fic- 
tion. Ballet’s  History  of  the  Korean 
Church,  and  the  story  of  the  begin- 
nings of  Protestant  missions  in  the 
“Land  of  the  Morning  Calm”  shows 
a receptivity  on  the  part  of  the  Korean 
people  that  should  have  led  the  church 
in  America  to  reinforce  the  work  more 
quickly  and  to  push  forward  the  cam- 
paign with  greater  energy. 

The  willingness  of  these  simple- 
minded  people  to  hear  the  story  of 
Christ,  their  natural  hospitality  and 
the  zeal  with  which  those  who  have 
become  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the 


Gospel,  have  carried  the  good  news 
from  home  to  home,  from  village  to 
village,  all  over  the  land,  have  pro- 
duced marvelous  results.  The  activ- 
ity of  the  native  Christians,  their  gen- 
erosity in  giving  of  their  hard-earned 
means  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
in  their  own  land  and  even  in  foreign 
lands ; their  earnest  trust  in  God,  and 
in  the  power  of  prayer,  are  character- 
istics which  the  Church  in  America 
has  looked  upon  with  wonder  and  ad- 
miration. 

The  Koreans  are  said  to  be  a phleg- 
matic people,  not  given  to  showing 
signs  of  emotion,  and  yet  hard-work- 
ing business  men  have  been  known  to 
weep  as  they  heard  the  story  of  the 
Cross  and  realized  for  the  first  time 
that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  was 
shed  for  them.  Here  and  there  some 
have  been  found  who  seemed  to  real- 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


ize,  in  an  unusual  way  the  burden  of 
guilt  and  the  enormity  of  their  own 
sins  against  God,  the  greatest  of  which 
they  consider  their  failure  to  acknowl- 
edge Him,  and  the  worship  of  idols. 
But  throughout  all  Korea  there 
seemed  to  be  a desire  on  the  part  of 
the  native  Christians  and  of  the  mis- 
sionaries for  a manifestation  of  the 
presence  of  the  Spirit  with  power. 
This  desire  had  long  been  in  the  hearts 
of  the  missionaries,  but  as  the  Koreans 
read  the  story  of  Pentecost  and  stud- 
ied the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  they 
were  aroused  to  question  whether  the 
presence  of  the  Spirit  might  not  be 
manifested  in  Korea  with  power  like 
that  described  in  the  Apostolic  days. 
In  one  church,  after  an  earnest  dis- 
cussion by  the  elder  and  the  people, 
they  set  apart  a season  of  prayer  to 
last  ten  days  and  “to  try  and  see” 
whether  God  would  grant  the  outpour- 
ing of  His  Spirit.  When  the  elder 
heard  their  decision  he  told  them  that 
those  two  words  “try”  and  “see,”  to- 
gether with  the  ten  day  limit,  were 
sufficient  to  bring  failure.  They  might 
well  have  the  prayer-meeting  for  ten 
days,  but  they  must  not  try  the  Lord, 
their  God.  This  incident  shows  a real 
desire  for  the  real  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit. 

Early  in  1906  the  report  spread  of 
the  marvellous  revival  that  was  visit- 
ing this  little  land,  and  it  was  soon 
seen  that  this  was  not  so  much  a re- 
vival outside  of  the  church,  drawing 
non-Christians,  as  a revival  inside, 
purifying  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the 
people,  making  them  realize  better  the 
enormity  of  sin  in  God’s  sight,  and 
causing  them  to  strive  even  more 
earnestly  for  the  conversion  of  their 
neighbors.  While  the  result  of  this 
revival  was  not,  therefore,  an  imme- 
diate increase  in  the  number  of  the 


membership  of  the  church,  it  was  cer- 
tain to  produce  this  result. 

The  awakening  has  given  to  Chris- 
tians a clearer  idea  of  God  and  Christ 
and  of  the  human  heart  and  sin,  and 
has  had  a marvellous  purifying  effect 
upon  the  whole  Church.  There  were 
those  who  scoffed,  as  there  always  will 
be,  but  when  to  these  same  scoffers 
men  came,  confessing  wrong  doing 
and  made  restitution,  they  were  forced 
to  acknowledge  the  reality  of  the 
work.  The  most  trusted  native  em- 
ployee of  a certain  foreign  merchant 
had  been  a Christian  for  several  years, 
and  at  the  tirhe  of  the  revival  was 
led  to  see  that  he  had  not  lived  up  to 
the  teachings  of  Christ.  This  man 
went  to  his  employer  and  restored  al- 
most a thousand  dollars,  which  he  said 
he  had  stolen  before  the  time  of  his 
conversion.  Such  facts  as  these  are 
irrefutable. 

While  in  most  mission  fields  the 
missionaries  are  seeking  openings  and 
are  pushing  the  work,  here  in  Korea 
the  work  has  been  steadily  pushing  the 
missionary,  until  at  the  present  time 
it  is  beyond  his  power  to  control  and 
grasp  it  all  or  to  take  advantage  of 
the  many  opportunities  offered. 

In  the  Presbyterian  Church  alone, 
between  June,  1906,  and  June,  1907, 
the  communicants  increased  from  12,- 
546  to  15,079;  an  increase  of  20  per 
cent.  The  adherents  in  1906  num- 
bered 44,587  and  in  1907,  59,787,  an 
increase  of  15,200,  or  34  per  cent. 
The  schools  in  connection  with  these 
churches,  which  numbered  208  in 
June,  1906,  increased  to  344  in  June, 
1907,  during  the  same  period,  and  the 
scholars  increased  from  3,456  to  7,504, 
or  72  per  cent.  The  Church  is  ex- 
tremely active  so  that  the  places  of 
regular  meeting  have  grown  from  628 
to  767  in  the  one  year,  and  the  con- 


THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  KORE/ 


tributions  increased  from  $27,418.89 
to  $40,088.48 — or  nearly  double. 

The  reports  from  the  two  Methodist 
churches  now  working  in  Korea  show 

Native  communicant  members...  5,858 


Probationers  22,595 

Adherents  44,611 

Churches  over  400 

Contributions  over  $12,000 


Twenty  years  ago,  (in  December, 
1887),  the  first  communion  service  for 
Koreans  was  administered  in  Seoul, 
and  all  the  Christians  in  the  county 
were  present,  seven  in  all.  Last  year 


(1907),  the  sacrament  was  observed 
in  over  one  thousand  churches  belong- 
ing to  three  denominations  with  20,- 
937  believers.* 

This  work,  with  its  earnest,  active 
membership,  places  before  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  America  a wonderful 
opportunity  of  winning  a nation  for 
Christ. 

When  we  consider  the  compara- 
tively few  Christian  workers  in  that 

*It  is  regretable  that  the  figures  at  our 
disposal  are  only  those  of  the  three  de- 
nominations, and  if  we  desire  to  con- 
sider all  the  work  in  Korea,  these  figures 
would  be  very  largely  increased. 


land,  which  is  about  equal  in  area  and 
population  to  the  states  of  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania,  we  are  led  to  think 
of  what  might  be  done  if  the  forces 
there  had  been  properly  increased. 
The  attitude  of  the  people  generally 
throughout  the  whole  country  is  fav- 
orable to  the  Gospel,  and  there  is 
placed  before  the  American  Church 
to-day  a nation  that,  as  Mr.  Mott  says, 
‘Tan  be  Christianized  in  this  genera- 
tion, if  the  Church  will  but  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  opportunity.’^ 


In  view  of  the  great  opportunity  and 
responsibility  that  faces  the  Church 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  has  decided  upon  an  unpre- 
cedented action.  The  five  missionaries 
from  Korea  now  in  America  are  au- 
thorized to  make  special  efiforts  to  find 
twenty  new  men  and  to  raise  sufficient 
money  (estimated  at  $229,540),  to 
properly  conduct  the  present  work. 
The  time  is  ripe  for  the  winning  of 
Korea  for  the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 
The  question  before  the  Church  in 
America  is  “What  will  she  do  about 
it?” 


ONE  OF  THE  NATIVE  PROTESTANT  COUNTRY  CHURCHES  IN  KOREA 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


LETTER  FROM  DR.  SAMUEL  A MOFFETT 


In  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church 
we  are  still  struggling  with  the  prob- 
lem of  how  to  accommodate  the  con- 
gregation. A separate  service  for  wo- 
men in  the  morning  with  from  800  to 
1,000  in  attendance  and  a service  for 
men  only  in  the  afternoon  with  from 
1,200  to  1,500  in  attendance  is  so  far 
the  only  way  in  which  to  meet  the 


service  which  was  held  in  September. 
All  four  of  the  churches  have  com- 
manding sites  and  are  so  located  as 
to  touch  the  entire  city.  One  more 
church  to  the  west  is  now  needed  to 
relieve  the  congestion  at  the  Central 
Church.  What  we  shall  do  when  all 
five  of  the  churches  are  crowded  we 
do  not  yet  know. 


THE  SEVEN  FIRST  ORDAINED  KOREAN  PASTORS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


situation.  We  must  have  another 
church  but  the  last  two  sent  off  have 
not  yet  fully  completed  their  build- 
ings. 

I was  rejoiced  upon  my  return  from 
America  to  find  the  South  Gate 
Church  completed,  with  capacity  for 
some  750  people,  the  North  Church 
nearly  finished,  seating  450  and  the 
new  or  Fourth  Church  with  its  first 
wing,  capable  of  seating  about  800 
people,  just  about  ready  for  the  first 


The  Academy  and  College  opened 
with  some  450  pupils  enrolled  and  the 
buildings  are  taxed  to  the  uttermost 
capacity.  New  buildings  are  impera- 
tively needed.  The  school  for  wo- 
men and  girls  opened  also  with  135 
enrolled — everything  crowded.  The 
new  building  for  training  classes  and 
girls’  school  is  now  under  way  but 
will  not  nearly  meet  the  needs  for 
the  developing  school  and  so  it  is 
hoped  to  secure  another  gift  for  the 


EDUCATION  IN  KOREA 


girls'  school  allowing  the  present 
plant  to  be  used  for  the  training 
classes  and  other  work  for  women 
which  under  Miss  Best’s  direction  is 
now  assuming  such  proportions  as  to 
need  all  the  present  equipment.  Last 
year  was  the  best.  This  year  will  cer- 
tainly be  the  best. 

The  Korean  Presbyterian  Church 
was  organized  on  September  17,  1907, 
in  accordance  with  the  authority  given 
by  the  General  Assemblies  of  the  four 
Presbyterian  churches  whose  missions 
were  united  in  the  missionary  council. 

The  Presbytery,  in  its  first  meeting 
after  the  ordination  of  the  first  seven 
ordained  native  clergymen,  consisted 
of  32  foreign  missionaries  and  40 
Korean  ministers  and  elders.  Presby- 
tery has  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  over 
a Church  with  17,890  communicants, 
21,482  catechumens,  38  fully  organ- 
ized churches,  984  churches  not  all 
fully  organized,  adherents  numbering 
69,098,  and  day  schools  402,  with  8,611 
pupils  under  instruction.  This  Church 


contributed  for  all  purposes  last  year 
yen  94,227  ($47,113.50). 

Presbytery  granted  permission  for 
Mr.  Kil  San  Chu  to  accept  the  call 
of  the  Central  Church,  Pyeng  Yang, 
and  provided  for  his  installation.  The 
other  ordained  men — except  one — 
were  appointed  as  pastors  or  co-pas- 
tors over  groups  of  churches  until  the 
next  meeting  of  Presbytery.  In  the  case 
of  one  man  the  Presbytery  took  what 
is  perhaps  the  most  significant  action 
of  its  session.  One  of  the  seven  men 
ordained,  Yi  Ki  Poung,  was  set  aside 
as  missionary  to  the  island  of  Quel- 
part  and  the  whole  Church  was  asked 
to  provide  the  means  for  sending  him 
there  with  the  Gospel.  He  and  his 
wife,  with  one  or  more  helpers,  are  to 
go  to  the  people  of  that  island  and 
proclaim  the  Gospel  and  establish  the 
Church.  Sixteen  years  ago,  this  man 
stoned  me  on  the  streets  of  Pyeng 
Yang;  now  he  goes  forth  as  the  first 
missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Korea. 


EDUCATION  IN  KOREA 

REV.  ERNEST  F.  HALL 


It  has  been  said  by  some  that  the 
Koreans  do  not  desire  a modern  edu- 
cation. So  long  as  they  remained  a 
hermit  nation,  with  no  wish  to  min- 
gle in  the  afifairs  of  the  great  world 
outside,  such  a statement  might  have 
some  degree  of  truth,  for  hermit  na- 
tions and  hermit  individuals  lack  the 
stimulus  to  educational  progress.  But 
that  condition  is  now  out  of  date,  as 
the  following  facts  clearly  prove. 

The  progress  of  Christianity  and  the 
rapid  development  of  the  native 
church,  demanding  trained  leaders, 


has  been  an  important  factor  in  awak- 
ening the  desire  for  up-to-date  schools, 
and  it  is  no  wonder  that  wherever  a 
church  is  planted  there  follows  the 
school.  The  people  are  awake  from 
their  sleep  of  centuries,  and  realize 
that  if  they  are  to  take  their  rightful 
place  in  the  world’s  activities  they 
must  be  trained  to  respond  to  new 
demands.  The  Chinese  classics  do  not 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  soul,  nor 
do  they  give  equipment  for  the  bus- 
iness that  the  nation  must  perform. 
Fathers  and  mothers  are  asking  for 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


their  children  what  was  denied  them, 
and  they  are  making  noble  sacrifices 
to  that  end. 

Political  changes  in  recent  years 
which  have  resulted  in  wresting  from 
Korea  her  independence,  have  also 
made  her  realize  that  ^‘Knowledge  is 
power,”  and  that  she  has  lacked  the 
knowledge  of  the  things  which  has 
given  to  other  nations  the  might  to 


knowledge  of  several  thousand  Chi- 
nese characters  and  the  study  of  the 
teachings  of  Confucius  and  Mencius. 
For  twenty  years  the  Emperor  has 
patronized  a school  in  Seoul  conducted 
after  modern  methods  by  American 
and  English  teachers,  but  no  effort 
had  been  made  to  give  Korean  youth 
in  general  a thorough  education  until 
mission  work  developed  in  that  line. 


A CLASS  IN  THE  PRIMARY  SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS,  SYEN  CHUN,  KOREA 


humiliate  her  before  the  world.  Hence 
it  results  that  “righteousness,  which 
exalteth  a nation,”  and  which  has 
been  at  work  within,  and  ambitious 
conquest,  which  has  been  at  work 
from  without,  have  combined  to 
arouse  the  Koreans  to  an  intense  de- 
termination that  they  shall  know  what 
the  great  nations  know. 

Not  until  the  present  century  has 
there  developed  any  modern  school 
system  in  Korea.  The  Koreans  have 
been  imitators  of  the  Chinese,  and 
adopted  their  educational  methods, 
which  consisted  in  the  acquiring  of  a 


It  must  not  be  inferred,  however, 
that  the  study  of  Chinese  characters 
and  classics  does  not  educate.  While 
it  does  not  give  the  varied  information 
that  can  be  obtained  in  Western 
schools,  the  mental  discipline  which 
results  in’  developing  the  memory  and 
concentration  of  thought  is  a valuable 
educational  process,  and  prepares  the 
mind  by  exercising  the  faculties  which 
must  be  developed  in  order  to  receive 
and  utilize  information.  There  is  a 
large  class  of  men  in  Korea  who  have 
been  thus  developed  mentally,  and 
who  are  keen  to  make  use  of  all  kinds 


EDUCATION  IN  KOREA 


of  knowledge.  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  native  schools  have  kept  the 
Korean  mind  alert,  and  we  have  not 
to  deal  with  a people  unaccustomed 
to  thinking. 

“Schools  are  mostly  in  the  elemen- 
tary stage.  The  demand  for  education 
is  coming.”  These  words,  taken  from 
the  report  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission 
in  Korea  in  1900,  are  interesting  when 


PART  OF  THE  GIRLS'  SCHOOL  AT  SYEN  CHUN,  KOREA 


of  an  academy  for  boys  at  Pyeng 
Yang”  has  become  a full-fledged  acad- 
emy with  355  students.  The  princi- 
pal said  last  spring,  that  if  there  were 
sufficient  teachers  and  equipment  they 
could  easily  have  a thousand  students, 
for  a great  many  are  refused  admit- 
tance because  they  can  not  be  cared 
for. 

In  1902,  the  mission  schools  num- 


viewed  in  connection  with  the  report 
which  has  recently  come  to  hand  con- 
cerning the  work  of  the  past  years, 
which  shows  that  the  same  mission 
now  has  344  primary  schools  with  an 
attendance  of  6,099  boys  and  1,083 
girls.  The  report  of  1900  said,  “There 
is  a small  boarding  school  for  girls 
at  Seoul,  and  the  nucleus  of  an  acad- 
emy for  boys  at  Pyeng  Yang.”  The 
report  of  1907  shows  that  the  mission 
conducts  13  boarding  and  high  schools, 
where  603  young  men  and  146  young 
women  are  studying.  The  “nucleus 


bered  66,  and  the  students  1,082. 
There  was  a rapid  increase  each  year 
for  the  next  four  years,  when,  in  1906, 
the  schools  numbered  208,  and  the  stu- 
dents, 4,356.  During  the  past  year 
the  increase  has  been  phenomenal,  the 
number  of  schools  increasing  by  136, 
or  65  per  cent,  and  the  number  of  stu- 
dents increasing  by  3,148,  or  72  per 
cent,  making  the  total  number  of  pri- 
mary schools  344,  high  schools  13,  and 
the  total  number  of  students  7,504. 
In  addition  to  this  1 5 young  men  have 
been  pursuing  college  studies  and  72 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


have  attended  the  theological  school. 
The  latest  figures  of  the  other  missions 
have  not  come  to  hand,  but  they  will 
considerably  swell  the  total  educational 
statistics.  These  figures  themselves 
prove  conclusively  that  the  Koreans  do 
want  an  education. 

The  intensity  of  their  desire  is 
shown  by  their  willingness  to  pay  out 
of  their  poverty  for  educational  privi- 
leges. Of  the  344  primary  schools 
above  mentioned,  the  natives  entirely 
support  344,  providing  buildings,  pay- 
ing teachers’  salaries  and  all  running 
expenses.  The  following  incident 
which  occurred  in  the  Central  Church 
in  Pyeng  Yang,  June  26,  1906,  still 
further  illustrates  the  determination  of 
the  people,  for  the  contributions  were 
made  by  the  Koreans.  “After  pre- 
senting the  needs  of  and  plant  for  a 
college,  a collection  was  taken.  It 
was  the  most  enthusiastic  offering 
ever  witnessed  in  this  city.  Deeds  of 
lands  and  houses,  offerings  of  money 
and  rings,  and  promises  to  pay  speci-. 
fied  sums  each  year  for  a period  or 
for  life,  all  followed  one  another  in 
rapid  succession  for  three  hours,  re- 
sulting in  a total  offering  of  more  than 
$2,000.” 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  the  mis- 
sion to  give  a Christian  education, 
hence  the  study  of  the  Bible  is  one 
of  the  required  subjects  in  all  the 
schools,  and  the  educational  system 
also  includes  Bible  institutes  for  the 
church  in  general,  and  training  classes 
for  leaders  along  lines  of  practical 
church  work.  Yet  it  is  not  intended 


to  confine  the  training  to  such  sub- 
jects, but  to  give  a broad  training  such 
as  will  fit  men  and  women  for  every 
walk  of  life.  The  curricula  include 
the  study  of  Chinese,  which  is  the 
official  written  language  of  China, 
Korea  and  Japan,  the  Japanese  lan- 
guage, and  English  in  some  of  the 
schools.  Other  modern  and  ancient 
languages  are  not  needed  at  present. 
The  hospitals  have  young  men  and 
young  women  in  training  for  physi- 
cians and  nurses,  who  have  already 
proven  their  ability  in  these  lines,  even 
to  the  successful  performing  of  sur- 
gical operations.  Industrial  training 
is  an  important  factor  in  our  acade- 
mies, and  it  is  hoped  soon  to  begin 
experimental  farming,  while  a school 
for  the  blind,  model  Korean  homes 
and  normal  institutes  for  teachers  give 
some  idea  of  the  comprehensive  scope 
of  the  training. 

Enough  progress  has  been  made  to 
show  that  the  Koreans  have  great  ca- 
pacity as  students  along  all  lines,  and 
the  experimental  stage  is  passed.  The 
Koreans  should  be  judged  by  the  same 
standard  by  which  America  wishes  to 
be  judged — its  citizens  of  intelligence 
and  moral  force,  not  its  coolies  and 
vagabonds.  They  have  capacity,  let 
us  give  them  our  support.  Although 
they  are  doing  nobly  to  help  them- 
selves, they  are  poor  and  need  friends 
to  assist  them.  Will  not  some  who 
read  these  pages  respond  at  once  to 
help  maintain  Korea’s  higher  institu- 
tions of  learning,  and  thus  let  her 
enter  into  our  heritage  ? 


THE  DOCTOR  IN  KOREA 

A.  M.  SHARROCKS^  M.  D. 


The  first  Protestant  missionary  to 
Korea  was  a physician,  and  from  that 
day  to  this  the  medical  arm  of  the 
work  has  been  strong.  It  is  less  true 
of  Korea  than  of  some  countries  that 
medicine  is  needed  to  pave  the  way  for 


for  a short  time.  She  heard  the  Gos- 
pel, was  imprest,  bought  a New 
Testament  and  went  to  her  home. 
She  learned  to  read  (as  all  new  be- 
lievers do)  and  then  poured  over  her 
newly  acquired  treasure.  She  called 


THE  SEVERANCE  MISSION  HOSPITAL,  SEOUL,  KOREA 


the  evang’elist,  for  the  Koreans  accept 
the  Gospel  readily,  and  any  and  all 
missionaries  have  abundant  entree  to 
every  class  of  people.  It  is  true,  how- 
ever, that  the  medical  work  has  been 
and  still  is  a very  powerful  agency  for 
the  conversion  of  the  people.  In  my 
own  practise  I know  of  large  numbers 
of  direct  results,  and  not  a few  who 
getting  their  first  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel  at  the  hospital  have  gone  back 
to  their  country  homes  and  have  been 
the  means  of  starting  work  in  those 
places.  A definite  case  of  this  sort 
was  brought  to  my  notice  by  a mis- 
sionary from  another  station.  A wo- 
man of  his  territory,  living  in  a 
heathen  village,  was  in  our  hospital 


in  her  neighbors  and  according  to  her 
own  dim  understanding  explained  it. 
Soon  there  was  a group  of  them  meet- 
ing every  Sunday  for  study  and 
prayer,  and  when  the  missionary  was 
passing  through  that  region  they  asked 
him  to  enroll  them  as  Christians. 
There  is  now  a flourishing  little 
church  there.  So  far  as  the  actual 
conversion  of  the  heathen  is  concerned 
I believe  the  medical  worker  in  Korea 
is  as  potent  a factor  as  the  clerical, 
for  the  latter’s  time  is  now  mainly 
taken  up  with  the  already  converted, 
administering  to  the  churches,  while 
the  doctor  still  deals  hand  to  hand 
with  the  raw  heathen.  There  are,  too, 
other  reasons  why  the  doctor  is  more 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


than  an  ornament  to  the  mission.  He 
is  a necessity  in  each  station  to  the 
life  and  welfare  of  our  missionaries. 
The  Korea  mission  has  never  be- 
lieved in  the  small  one-man  station. 
From  two  or  three  to  eight  or  nine 
families  constitute  a station.  These 
are  a valuable  asset  of  the  Board  and 
for  their  care  a doctor  should  always 
be  one  member  of  the  group.  As  the 
work  grows  new  stations  are  opened 
and  so  new  doctors  become  a necessity, 
but  while  he  is  needed  for  the  sake  of 
the  missionaries,  that  is  by  no  means 
a large  part  of  his  work.  In  each 
station  there  is  a hospital  for  the  treat- 
ment of  Koreans.  In  one  of  these 
hospitals  the  number  of  treatments  re- 
ported last  year  was  21,581,  in  an- 
other, 12,730,  in  another,  10,143,  and 
so  on.  In  all  six  of  our  institutions 
a little  over  60,000  for  the  year. 

Korea  is  a country  with  no  knowl- 
edge of  Western  medicine  and  sur- 
gery. It  is  small  wonder  that  when 
doctors  from  America  first  went  there 
the  people  expected  little  from  them, 
but  still  less  wonder  that  having 
learned  what  the  American  can  do, 
they  are  crowding  the  hospitals  and 
dispensaries.  According  to  their  ap- 
proved methods  a broken  bone  or  dis- 
located joint  is  treated  by  sticking  long 
needles  similar  to  hat  pins  into  the  un- 
fortunate part ; indigestion  or  con- 
sumption, by  placing  little  pyramids  of 
dried,  powdered  herbs  on  the  skin 
over  the  affected  part,  ignite  it,  and 
grin  and  bear  it,  while  it  slowly  burns 
away ; or  certain  other  affections,  by 
wrapping  the  naked  patient  in  the  skin 
of  a calf  or  dog  still  warm  and  drip- 
ping from  the  body  of  its  first  owner. 
To  sum  up,  the  medical  and  surgical 
treatment  of  the  native  doctor  is  of- 
times  worse  than  the  condition  treated. 


One  would  wonder  why  a patient  would 
submit  to  such  barbarous  treatment. 
I wonder  myself  and  yet,  my  friend, 
what  would  you  do  if  you  knew  no 
better  and  had  no  one  to  whom  you 
could  go  with  your  trouble.  Pain  is 
a dreadful  thing ; fear  of  death  is  bad, 
but  absolute  suffering  and  the  thought 
of  continuing  in  the  same  for  a long 
period  with  no  relief  is  something  we 
of  America  know  little  of.  There  is 
no  decent  treatment  in  Korea,  or  was 
none  till  a few  Americans  went  there. 
So  what  was  the  sufferer  to  do  ? The 
native  doctor  promises  help,  acquaint- 
ances who  have  recovered  perhaps  in 
spite  of  treatment  in  years  past,  urge 
him  to  take  it.  The  pain  drives  him 
to  it,  and  thus  it  goes. 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  imagine  the 
ignorance  of  the  common  Korean  on 
matters  that  pertain  to  anatomy,  phy- 
siology, hygiene,  etc.  He  is  not  igno- 
rant along  all  lines  for  Korea  has  a 
system  of  learning  and  according  to 
their  own  standards  there  aVe  thd'se 
who  are  called  scholars,  but  medical 
knowledge  is  not  in  their  system.  Nor 
is  the  so-called  doctor  an  exception. 
He  knows  the  exact  spot  to  strike  a 
surface  artery  when  he  wants  to  bleed 
a person,  or  the  exact  spot  where  a 
needle  may  be  inserted  into  a joint, 
but  why  the  blood  he  is  letting  comes 
out  in  spurts,  or  what  the  joint  looks 
like  inside  he  does  not  know.  Post- 
mortem examination  or  the  dissection 
of  the  human  body  has  never  been 
thought  of  and  would  not  be  tolerated  ; 
so  how  could  they  know.  A comment 
on  the  style  of  education  of  their  doc- 
tors may  be  most  forcibly  made  by  re- 
lating what  came  under  my  own  notice 
only  a short  time  ago.  A woman  was 
in  terrible  suffering  and  in  a condition 
that  would  probably  soon  prove  fatal 


THE  DOCTOR  IN  KOREA 


Two  or  three  Korean  doctors  were 
called  in,  among  them  one  whose  fame 
had  spread  far  and  wide  and  who  was 
looked  upon  as  great  in  the  profes- 
sion. Still  the  woman  grew  worse 
rather  than  better.  They  sent  for  me, 
but  as  I rarely  go  out  to  cases  in  the 
country,  I sent  one  of  my  assistants, 
a young  Korean.  He  went,  understood 
the  case  at  once,  and'  did  what  was 


reans  in  Christian  philanthropy.  The 
hospitals  are  almost  self-supporting, 
which  means  that  the  patients  pay  for 
their  medicine,  etc.,  but  they  know  that 
we  are  not  there  for  money  gain.  The 
poor  are  always  treated  although  they 
may  not  pay  a penny,  not  only  treated, 
but  frequently  fed  and  clothed  as  well. 
From  the  side  of  philanthropy  alone, 
medical  missions  in  a foreign  country, 


MEDICAL  STUDENTS  IN  THE  MISSION  AT  SYEN  CHUN,  KOREA 


needed  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
whole  household,  and  saved  the  patient. 
The  next  morning  he  encountered  this 
old  doctor  of  local  fame  walking  up 
and  down  the  yard,  saying,  “What 
does  that  young  snip  of  a fellow  know 
about  medicine,  anyway!  I prayed  to 
the  gods  from  the  top  of  every  moun- 
tain around  here,  and  can  it  be  that 
he  has  learned  more  in  these  few 
years  from  that  foreigner  than  I have 
through  a long  life  from  all  the  gods?” 
And  he  went  away  in  a rage. 

The  medical  man  in  Korea  is  a most 
impressive  object  lesson  to  the  Ko- 


where  the  modern  theory  of  medical 
practise  is  unknown  is  most  commend- 
able. Remembering  with  that  the  ex- 
ample of  our  Savior,  his  teaching,  to 
say  nothing  of  his  command  as  he 
commissioned  the  Twelve,  saying, 
“Go,  preach,  teach,  saying,  ‘The  King- 
dom of  Heaven  is  at  hand,’  heal  the 
sick,”  etc.  Medical  missions  rest  on 
no  uncertain  foundation. 

Caring  for  the  missionaries,  winning 
friends  among  the  natives  and  heal- 
ing their  many  diseases  are  not  the 
only  duties  of  the  doctor  in  Korea. 
We  are  ambitious  to  have  our  work 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


live  after  we  pass  away.  No  branch 
of  our  mission  work  in  Korea  is  copy- 
righted. The  clerical  worker  is  rais- 
ing up  a native  ministry  to  replace 
himself.  The  educator  is  educating 
those  who  will  make  our  future  facul- 
ties. So  is  the  doctor  training  those 
who  will  be  the  future  practitioners  of 
Korea.  We  each  have  a class  of  the 
brightest  and  best  of  the  young  men 
available  who  are  serving  their  ap- 
prenticeship under  us.  In  my  own  dis- 
pensary I have  nine,  all  of  whom  are 
not  only  Christians,  but  come  from 
Christian  families.  They  are  well-to- 
do  and  that  is  a requirement  for  they 
must  be  at  their  own  expense,  and  not 
subject  to  the  temptation  to  make  their 
own  living  at  the  expense  of  the  drugs 
round  about  them.  They  are  also 
good  students  and  quick  of  mind. 
Many  of  them  have  been  with  me  now 


for  some  time  and  are  a very  valuable 
element  in  the  work.  Without  their 
help  the  treating  of  so  many  patients 
would  be  an  impossibility.  What  the 
training  of  these  Korean  doctors  will 
mean  to  the  future  Korea  can  hardly 
be  over  estimated. 

This  is  the  work  of  your  doctors  in 
Korea.  Our  mission  is  in  sore  need 
of  two  more  such  men  and  two  medi- 
cal plants,  one  at  Chong  Ju,  where 
missionaries  have  already  entered  and 
where  a separate  station  will  be  opened 
next  fall,  and  one  at  Kang  Kei,  where 
the  work  simply  demands  the  opening 
of  a station  as  soon  as  the  men  can 
be  assigned  to  that  territory.  The  mis- 
sion can  do  nothing  without  the 
money.  The  Board  can  not  grant  the 
appropriation  unless  it  receives  the 
necessary  gifts.  What  will  the  Ameri- 
can Christians  do  to  supply  the  funds  ? 


A TRAVELER’S  IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOREAN  MISSIONS 

BY  REV.  J.  E.  KITTRIDGE,  D.  D. 


The  quaint  land  of  Korea  made  a 
distinct  and  dazzling  impression  on  us 
during  our  brief  visit.  The  land  and 
people  are  of  absorbing  interest.  Less 
picturesque  than  Japan,  less  massive 
than  China,  it  is  in  a way  more  attrac- 
tive than  either. 

In  area  and  population,  Korea  is 
about  equal  to  New  York  and  New 
England,  omitting  Maine.  Its  range 
of  climate,  as  of  latitude,  is  about  the 
same  as  that  of  our  American  coast 
line  from  Boston  to  Charleston.  The 
Korean  folk,  too,  seem  a trifle  more 
like  ourselves  than  Chinese  or  Nip- 
ponese. We  seem  to  understand  them 
more  easily  than  we  understand  their 
neighbors,  and  learn  to  sympathize 
with  them  more  quickly. 


The  first  impression  that  Korean 
missions  made  upon  us  was  that  of 
a phenomenal  success.  Think  of  it. 
You  are  invited  to  the  regular 
Wednesday  evening  prayer-meeting  of 
the  Pyeng  Yang  Central  Presbyterian 
Church  and  find  yourself  face  to  face 
with  a congregation  of  over  eleven 
hundred  eager  men  and  women  ! This 
is  the  ordinary  attendance,  and  there 
are  four  other  prayer-meetings  going 
on  at  the  same  hour,  so  that  the  total 
attendance  is  about  thirty-five  hun- 
dred. Such  a scene  as  that  would 
thrill  a Christian  anywhere.  We  quite 
appreciated  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Dar- 
win R.  James  who  wrote  home  : “I  think 
I was  never  quite  so  near  heaven  before 
in  my  life.”  This  is  in  Pyeng  Yang,  a 


A TRAVELER’S  IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOREAN  MISSIONS 


city  of  less  than  sixty  thousand,  where 
eleven  years  ago  there  was  not  one 
Christian — now  there  are  seven  thou- 
sand. Korea  has  only  a little  over 
two  decades  of  mission  history  and 
yet  to-day  her  Protestant  Christians 
number  nearly  1 50,000.  The  progress 
has  been  wonderfully  rapid,  especially 
in  the  past  three  years.  In  the  Pres- 
byterian church  last  year  there  was  an 
advance  of  fifty  per  cent  in  the  church 
membership. 

A second  impression  is  the  solid 
basis  of  the  work.  This  is  not  a mer- 
curial people.  Their  mental  caliber 
and  stamina  rank  high,  and  there  ap- 
pears a surprising  aptitude  and  sus- 
ceptibility for  Christianity.  The  Gos- 
pel appeals  peculiarly  to  the  Korean. 
His  sense  of  personal  sinfulness  and 
need  is  real  and  deep.  The  change 
brought  about  by  conversion  is  not 
in  dress,  nor  in  the  structure  of  the 
house,  nor  in  the  ordinary  habits  of 
his  life,  but  in  the  man.  The  condi- 
tions of  church  membership  test  the 
reality  of  his  faith  and  purpose  for 
to  be  a Christian  in  Korea  means  bus- 
iness, the  business  of  life.  It  means 
the  giving  of  time  and  strength  and 
money  for  the  work  of  Christ.  Some- 
times a Korean  gives  a full  third  of 
his  income.  Every  man  is  practically 
a missionary.  There  is  something  so 
delightfully  natural,  too,  about  the 
Christian  life  in  Korea.  It  takes  one 
refreshingly  back  to  the  apostolic 
days.  A gladder  type  of  Christianity, 
or  Christian  services  more  songful, 
can  scarcely  be  found  anywhere  else  in 
the  world. 

There  is  splendid  promise  for  the 
future.  There  ought  to  be,  and  why 
should  there  not  be,  a continuous  and 
steadily  broadening  spiritual  life  ? The 
Korean  Church  ought  to  grow  with 


rapidity,  and  in  an  ever-increasing 
progression.  Nor  is  there  need  to  an- 
ticipate any  considerable  reaction  such 
as  occurred  in  the  nineties  in  Japan. 
The  times,  the  conditions,  the  spirit 
of  the  people  are  altogether  different. 
With  the  principle  : “every  man  a mis- 
sionary,” and  with  the  particular  kin- 
ship of  the  peoples  and  tongues 
between  the  Korean  and  Chinese, 
this  people  may  come  to  be  a 
mighty  factor  in  the  evangelization  of 
the  vast  Empire  of  China.  As  one 
veteran  missionary  recently  said : — 
“Without  doubt  God  means  to  use 
this  little  nation  in  a wonderful  way.” 

The  urgency  of  the  present  hour 
mightily  moves  us.  The  entire  East 
is  astir.  Erom  the  inland  sea  of  Eu- 
rope to  the  inland  sea  of  Japan  there 
is  a tremendous  seething  of  thought, 
a very  revolution  of  ideas.  This  is 
portentous,  as  it  is  promising.  The 
world  has  seen  no  hour  quite  like  it. 
It  challenges  the  Christian  Church. 
The  Church  of  Christ  must  answer. 
And  if  there  be  any  mission  field  in 
the  world  that  supremely  calls  for  in- 
stant and  open-handed  help  it  is  Ko- 
rea. The  work  crowds  the  workers 
until  they  are  almost  overwhelmed. 
It  is  flood-tide,  and  should  be  taken 
at  the  flood.  Postponement  spells 
peril.  The  moment  for  Korea  is 
NOW. 

The  specific  and  immediate  needs, 
which  imprest  us  were : a fresh  force 
of  missionaries,  say  twenty  or  more ; 
good  houses  to  shelter  them ; and 
equipment  for  higher  educational  in- 
stitutions. Men  are  needed  to  super- 
intend the  evangelistic  work,  which 
the  native  pastors  are  doing  now,  and 
can  do  better  than  we.  Collegiate  and 
theological  schools  are  necessary,  di- 
rected by  trained  men. 


HOME  KOREAN  HCHOOL  CHI LDREN— READY  TO  BE  TRAINED  P"OR  GOD  OR  THE  DEVIL 


WHEN  I WENT  TO  CHURCH  IN  KOREA* 

BY  CAMERON  JOHNSON,  OF  JAPAN 


At  the  beginning-  of  the  hot  season 
of  1901  I went  for  a fortnight  to  the 
old  northern  capital  of  Pyeng  Yang 
to  see  something  of  the  mission  work 
in  that  part  of  the  peninsula,  and  the 
memory  of  that  visit  remains  as  one 
of  the  oases  in  my  missionary  rambles 
about  the  world.  As  we  set  out  that 
hot  Sabbath  morning  we  soon  caught 
sight  of  a large  building  which  at  a 
distance  looked  like  the  residence  of 
the  chief  magistrate  of  the  city;  so 
large  it  was  and  so  well  located.  This, 
my  missionary  friend  told  me,  was  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pyeng 
Yang.  We  arrived  a little  before  the 
service  was  due  to  begin.  The  build- 
ing was  already  well-filled  and  wor- 
shipers were  still  coming  from  all  di- 
rections. As  they  entered  the  build- 
ing they  left  their  sandals  at  the  doors 
and  quietly  seated  themselves  in  long 
rows  on  the  clean  and  polished  oil- 
paper floor.  Their  demeanor  showed 
that  they  regarded  the  building  as  the 
house  of  God  and  that  He  was  pres- 
ent. As  soon  as  each  man  or  woman 
found  a place  to  sit,  the  head  was 
bowed  for  a moment  in  silent  prayer. 
There  was  no  talking,  or  even  whis- 
pering, for  they  had  come  to  worship 
God  not  to  visit  their  neighbors. 

The  service  began  with  the  Doxo- 
logy  in  which  all  the  great  congrega- 
tion joined  heartily.  After  the  invo- 
cation the  missionary  announced  the 
Scripture  portion  to  be  read,  and  each 
one  drew  from  under  the  arm,  or 
from  the  long  flowing  sleeve,  a copy 
of  God’s  Word,  found  the  place,  and 
all  followed  the  reading  with  closest 
attention  and  interest ; and  when  the 
minister  paused  to  emphasize  or  ex- 


plain a part  of  what  he  was  reading, 
some  of  the  listeners  would  make  mar- 
ginal notes  for  future  reference.  Each 
worshiper  came  provided  with  a copy 
of  the  Bible  and  used  it. 

A song  was  next  announced  and  a 
big  missionary  stood  forth  with  baton 
in  hand  to  lead,  while  another  sat  at 
the  little  organ.  The  Koreans  are  not 
noted  for  their  musical  ability,  from 
a Western  point  of  view,  and  many  of 
them  having  become  Christians  after 
reaching  years  of  maturity  have  never 
had  the  training  necessary  to  make 
good  singers.  This  lack  does  not  em- 
barrass them  in  the  least,  and  those 
who  can  not  sing  melodiously  at  least 
join  heartily  and  intelligently,  for  each 
man  and  woman  is  careful  to  find  the 
hymn  and  read  it  out  lustily,  if  not 
melodiously.  The  precentor  starts  the 
tune,  but  immediately  the  great  throng 
of  music-loving  Koreans  took  up  the 
song  on  their  own  account  and,  like 
the  Israelites  of  old,  every  one  “did 
what  was  right  in  his  own  eyes.”  The 
precentor,  big,  strong  missionary  man 
tho  he  was,  was  quickly  drowned 
out,  while  the  vast  throng  carried  the 
hymn  to  a happy  conclusion.  It  was 
wonderful ; and  one  gazed  toward  the 
roof  to  see  how  it  was  that  it  did  not 
lift  and  float  away.  The  great  volume 
of  praise  that  ascended  Heavenward 
from  the  lungs  and  the  hearts  of  those 
glad  Korean  Christians  was  inspiring 
if  not  melodious  as  they  endeavored  to 
sing 

All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name; 

Let  angels  prostrate  fall; 

Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all. 

It  cheered  the  heart  and  made  one 


* See  frontispiece  also 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


feel  that  these  people  loved  and  re- 
vered that  Name  which  they  praised 
so  vociferously.  Their  song  was  evi- 
dently unto  the  Lord  and  not  unto 
men. 

When  the  minister  announced  his 
text,  instantly  every  Bible  was  opened 
and  the  text  found  and  marked.  Then 
the  books  were  closed  and  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  was  riveted  upon 
the  speaker  from  start  to  finish. 
Tho  the  speaker  that  morning  was 
not  prest  for  time  and  gave  them 
a long  sermon,  no  watch  was 

pulled  out  to  time  him,  or  were  there 
any  anxious  looks  that  betrayed  ner- 
vous apprehension  as  to  “how  much 
longer  he  would  continue.”  These 
Koreans  have  not  yet  learned  that  a 
sermon  must  not  exceed  thirty  minutes 
in  length.  When  the  service  came  to 
a close,  and  the  benediction  pro- 
nounced, each  head  remained  bowed  in 
silent  prayer  for  a blessing  upon  the 
preached  w'ord  and  then  that  multitude 
went  out  in  a quiet  and  orderly  man- 
ner. 

Some  noticed  that  there  was  a visit- 
ing stranger  on  the  platform  that  day 
and  they  must  needs  come  and  give 
him  a greeting,  so  a little  company 
with  their  simple,  honest  faces  came 
to  the  platform  and,  one  of  them  as 
spokesman  greeted  the  visitor  in  a 
very  beautiful  and  touching  way.  He 
knew  no  English  and  the  writer’s 
knowledge  of  Korean  was  only  suf- 
ficient to  catch  his  meaning.  Wdth  the 
forefinger  of  his  right  hand  he  first 
touched  his  own  heart,  and  then  the 
writer’s,  and  pointing  upward,  said  in 
Korean:  “LTanare  keisin  ouri  Abaji.” 
“Our  Father  which  art  in  Heaven,” 
meaning  to  indicate  that  the  fact  of 
one  Heavenly  Father  was  sufficient  to 
make  us  all  members  of  His  family  on 


earth  and  brethren  in  Christ  the  Lord. 
May  those  Korean  brothers  ever  re- 
main simple  in  their  Christian  love  an-J 
life  and  never  grow  wise  enough  to 
forget  to  greet  the  visiting  stranger. 

As  we  wended  our  way  homeward 
I asked  my  missionary  friend  why 
there  was  such  a large  gathering  ol 
people  at  the  service  that  morning,  and 
what  was  the  special  occasion,  as  the 
day  was  hot  and  the  distances  for 
some  of  them,  at  least,  must  have  been 
considerable.  He  replied  that  it  was 
only  the  ordinary  congregation,  only 
not  as  large  as  usual  owing  to  the 
heat,  as  there  were  only  about  i,200 
present  that  morning ! In  cooler 
weather  when  the  house  is  packed  they 
sometimes  have  as  many  as  seventeen 
hundred ! They  are  all  the  year  round 
church-goers. 

That  afternoon  I attended  a Wo- 
man's Bible  Class  conducted  by  one 
of  the  ladies  of  the  Presbyterian  mis- 
sion. The  room  in  the  neat  little  Ko- 
rean house  with  its  whitewashed 
walls,  and  polished  paper  floor  was 
quite  full  and  each  woman  took  a great 
interest  in  the  Bible  study.  At  the 
close  the  lady  in  charge  said  that  there 
were  about  a hundred  present  and  that 
it  was  one  of  four  simultaneous  classes 
held  in  different  parts  of  the  city  that 
afternoon.  Think  of  it ! A few  years 
before  there  was  not  a Christian  Ko- 
rean woman  in  that  town. 

The  next  Sabbath  I went  to  the 
Alethodist  church  and  discovered  that 
the  congregation  was  composed  en- 
tirely of  men.  The  reason  is  that  the 
building  is  too  small  to  accommodate 
all  at  the  same  time,  so  the  men  come 
in  the  morning  and  the  women  in  the 
afternoon. 

This  was  seven  years  ago  in  the  city 
which  was  one  of  the  most  exclusive, 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


proudest  and  wickedest  in  all  Korea. 
It  had  a name  throughout  the  land  for 
its  wicked  men  and  its  abandoned  wo- 
men, and  nowadays  it  is  one  of  the 
object  lessons  in  modern  missions.  To- 
day it  has  four  large  churches,  be- 
sides other  preaching  centers,  and  out 
of  a total  population  of  thirteen  thou- 
sand the  average  weekly  attendance  at 


PRACTICAL  RESULTS 

BY  DR.  J.  D. 

Five  weeks  recently  spent  in  Korea 
offered  an  opportunity  to  see  and  hear 
something  of  the  wonderful  work 
which  is  there  in  progress.  Thirty 
years  ago  Korea  was  a closed  land. 
It  was  death  to  set  foot  in  it.  North 
Korea  was  a great  bandit  region, 
largely  given  up  to  plunder.  There 
still  remain  old  castles  of  refuge  on 
the  hills  among  the  mountains  to 
which  the  people  fled  for  refuge. 

Fifteen  years  ago  there  was  not  a 
Christian  in  North  Korea.  There  are 
now  about  one  thousand  churches  and 
preaching  places  in  North  Korea  and 
hundreds  of  church  buildings  have 
been  erected  by  the  Korean  Christians. 
A majority  of  the  people  in  North 
Korea  are  within  three  miles  of  a 
church  or  preaching  place.  This  work 
has  been  self-supporting  from  the  be- 
ginning. Every  Christian  has  been 
made  to  feel  that  it  is  his  duty  to  bear 
witness  to  others,  to  teach  and  lead 
others  to  Christ.  Last  winter  over 
one  thousand  men  were  gathered  into 
Pyeng  Yang  from  the  country,  some 
of  them  coming  more  than  one  hun- 
dred miles,  where  they  studied  the  Bi- 
ble with  the  missionaries  and  received 
instruction  in  Christianity  and  Chris- 
tian work  for  fifteen  days.  Five  hun- 


mid-week  prayer-meeting  is  three 
thousand,  or  nearly  twenty-five  per 
cent.  Is  there  any  city  or  town  of 
that  size  in  civilized  Christendom  that 
can  show  such  a record?  Truly  after 
a visit  to  such  a mission-field  as  Ko- 
rea, and  to  such  a mission  point  as 
Pyeng  Yang,  one  can  only  marvel  and 
exclaim : “What  hath  God  wrought  \” 


IN  KOREAN  MISSIONS 

DAVIS,  KYOTO 

dred  women  came  in  at  a different 
time  for  similar  study  and  training  for 
fifteen  days,  and  then  these  men  and 
women  went  back  into  the  country  to 
engage  in  active  work  in  teaching  and 
bearing  witness  to  the  truth.  Eight 
hundred  men  and  three  hundred  wo- 
men, from  the  churches  in  the  city, 
met  for  fifteen  days  of  study  and  train- 
ing. Besides  these,  a Bible  Institute 
for  men  was  held  in  the  spring,  with 
an  attendance  of  three  hundred  and 
one  for  women  with  an  attendance  of 
one  hundred.  These  were  made  up  of 
regular  evangelists  and  workers. 
There  are  about  five  hundred  evangel- 
ists and  workers  in  North  Korea  en- 
tirely supported  by  Korean  money. 
These  elders,  evangelists,  and  Bible 
women  had  classes  for  Biblical  and 
Christian  instruction  last  year  in  252 
places  in  North  Korea  with  an  at- 
tendance of  over  12,000.  The  church 
members  who  can  not  give  money,  and 
many  who  can  give  money,  give  their 
time  and  go  into  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages around  the  places  where  they 
dwell,  and  tell  the  Gospel  story  to 
those  who  have  not  yet  heard. 

The  Central  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Pyeng  Yang,  altho  seating  fifteen  hun- 
dred people,  has  swarmed  three  times. 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


to  get  room  in  the  building.  They 
have  formed  the  North,  South  and 
East  churches  and  put  up  large  build- 
ings, but  that  Central  church  is  now 
so  crowded  that  the  women  meet  in 
the  morning,  and  the  men  in  the  after- 
noon, each  Sabbath,  and  the  church  is 
full  each  time.  It  is  filled  again  at 
the  weekly  prayer  meeting  every 
Thursday  evening. 

The  church  members  in  the  city  are 
divided  into  groups,  each  in  charge  of 
an  elder,  and  each  group  is  divided 
into  bands  of  about  ten  each  with  a 
band  leader.  The  houses  in  the  city 
are  all  apportioned,  about  fifty  houses 
to  each  band,  and  are  divided  into 
groups  of  seven  or  eight  houses  each, 
and  some  one  is  assigned  to  visit  reg- 
ularly each  group  of  houses  and  read 
the  Bible,  and  pray  with  the  inmates. 
These  workers  meet  together  for 
prayers  before  they  start  out,  and  they 
have  frequent  meetings  for  reports. 

The  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Pyeng 
Yang  has  a Theological  school  with 
seventy-five  students,  who  study  three 
months  each  year  and  go  out  to  work 
during  nine  months.  There  is  a union 
Methodist  and  Presbyterian  academy 
and  college  in  Pyeng  Yang  with  about 
thirty  collegiate  and  three  hundred 
academic  students.  This  school  has  a 
manual  training  department  connected 
with  it. 

There  is  a largely  attended  woman’s 
training  school  in  the  city,  with  two 
sessions  a week  from  October  to  May. 
There  was  a Normal  training  class  for 
female  teachers  last  year  in  May,  with 
an  attendance  of  eighty-seven,  and  one 
for  male  teachers  in  July  with  an  at- 
tendance of  two  hundred  and  two. 

There  are  about  four  hundred  and 
fifty  primary  graded  schools  in  op- 
eration connected  with  the  churches 


in  Korea,  with  a six  years  course  of 
study.  There  were  9,717  pupils  in 
these  schools  last  year,  about  2,000  of 
whom  were  girls.  There  are  eleven  in- 
termediate schools  or  academies  for 
young  men  with  a three  years’  course 
of  study  and  an  attendance  last  year 
of  1,266,  mostly  graduates  of  the  pri- 
mary schools.  There  are  nine  similar 
schools  for  young  women,  with  five 
hundred  students,  and  their  number  is 
rapidly  increasing.  There  are  Nor- 
mal classes  where  five  hundred  men 
and  women  are  helped  to  prepare  for 
teaching.  There  are  day-schools  and 
night-classes  where  thousands  of  men 
and  women  are  being  taught  to  read. 
There  are  industrial  schools  and  two 
schools  for  the  blind.  There  is  a flour- 
ishing Y.  M.  C.  A.  school  in  Seoul 
where  hundreds  of  young  men  are  be- 
ing taught. 

Over  15,000  students  were  taught 
last  year  in  these  mission  schools. 
This  work  is  self-supporting.  All  the 
evangelists  and  workers,  all  who  come 
to  the  training  classes  from  the  city 
and  country,  and  all  the  primary, 
academic,  collegiate  and  theological 
students  are  supported  by  Korean 
money.  Over  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
gold,  was  given  for  Christian  work  by 
the  Korean  Christians  last  year. 

Best  and  most  important  of  all,  the 
missionaries  in  Pyeng  Yang  and  the 
Korean  workers  from  city  and  coun- 
try who  were  assembled  there  last 
winter,  all  received  a great  spiritual 
uplift.  It  seemed  like  a veritable  Pen- 
tecost. All  hearts  were  melted  and 
filled  with  spiritual  power.  The  mis- 
sionaries have  maintained  a union 
daily  prayer  meeting  for  nearly  ten 
months.  This  wave  of  spiritual  bless- 
ing has  extended  over  the  whole  field. 
It  has  led  to  earnest  work  and  self- 


METHODIST  (sOUTH)  MISSION  SCHOOL  AT  SONGDO,  KOREA,  PRESIDED  OVER  BY  HON. 


JAPANESE  AND  MISSIONARIES  IN  KOREA 


denying  giving.  It  prepared  the  way 
for  those  influences  which  have  kept 
the  people  of  North  Korea  quiet  dur- 
ing the  last  few  months.  After  the  ab- 
dication of  the  late  Emperor  and  the 
disbanding  of  the  army,  when  the  peo- 
ple in  North  Korea,  naturally  the  most 
excitable  and  turbulent  of  the  Korean 
people,  were  in  danger  of  rising  in 
insurrection,  the  missionaries  and 
leading  Christians  banded  together 
and  urged  all  the  Christians  in  the 
nearly  one  thousand  churches  and 
preaching  places  to  exert  their  in- 
fluence in  leading  all  the  people  to 
remain  quiet  and  submissive,  with  the 
result  that  there  has  been  little  or  no 


disturbance  in  North  Korea.  A sim- 
ilar work  is  being  done  from  Seoul 
and  other  places  as  centers,  and  the 
two  thousand  churches  and  groups  of 
Christians  are  a most  hopeful  part  of 
the  outlook.  The  Christians  increased 
fifty  per  cent  last  year.  If  this  work 
can  go  on  unchecked  and  unchilled, 
Korea  will  be  rapidly  evangelized  and 
filled  with  millions  of  happy,  en- 
lightened Christian  homes,  and  this 
little  kingdom,  despised  tho  it  has 
been,  will  give  to  the  Christian  world 
a priceless  example  of  the  way  and 
the  only  way  that  the  Gospel  can  be 
carried  to  the  whole  world  during  the 
present  generation. 


THE  GATE  OF  PYENG  YANG,  KOREA 


WITH  THE  JAPANESE  VANGUARD  IN  KOREA 

BY  HELEN  PIERSON  CURTIS,  SEOUL 
Missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 

It  was  a startling  innovation  when,  to  leave  Japan  and  work  among  the 
over  a year  ago,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  colonists  settled  there, 
responded  to  an  imperative  call  from  There  was  no  appropriation  from 
the  Japanese  in  Dalny  (now  Tairen)  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  for 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


this  new  work,  but  the  Japanese 
promised  to  provide  everything  ex- 
cept the  missionary’s  salary  and 
traveling  expenses.  It  was  with  some 
misgivings  that  the  mission  voted  to 
send  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  for  one  year. 

So  well  have  the  Japanese  fulfilled 
their  part  of  the  bargain  and  so 
glowing  are  the  reports  from  the 
missionaries  that  not  only  has  the 
appointment  been  made  permanent 
but,  in  response  to  urgent  calls,  two 
other  families  have  been  sent  out  for 
work  among  Japanese  colonists:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  A.  V.  Bryan  to  Port  Arthur, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  S.  Curtis  to  Ko- 
rea. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erdman  have  also 
gone  to  take  up  the  work  among  Ja- 
panese in  Hawaii. 

Some  may  wonder  why  Japanese 
evangelists  are  not  sent  to  their  own 
countrymen,  for  most  people  do  not 
realize  that  millions  in  Japan  are,  as 
yet,  untouched  by  the  Gospel  and  the 
Japanese  Church  is  facing  heavy 
responsibilities  at  home. 

. The  Japanese  Presbyterian  Church 
has  a strong  Home  Mission  Board 
which  is  faithfully  seeking  to  extend 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  among  Japa- 
nese at  home  and  abroad.  A most 
earnest  and  energetic  secretary 
travels  over  the  whole  field,  and  other 
members  of  the  Board,  tho  they  are 
busy  pastors,  give  much  time  to  visit- 
ing and  encouraging  the  weaker 
churches. 

The  Japanese  Christians  in  the  col- 
onies are  more  ready  to  assume  self- 
support  than  the  churches  in  the 
home-land.  In  Formosa  and  in  Dal- 
ny they  are  already  independent,  and 
if  those  being  formed  in  other  centers 
learn  that  they  can  not  rely  on  money 
from  outside  sources,  they  also  will 
follow  the  good  example. 


Japanese  leaders  are  asking  mis- 
sionaries to  take  up  more  largely  the 
pioneer  work,  feeling  that  they  them- 
selves have  not  a sufficient  force  to 
do  much  more  than  man  the  work 
already  established;  and  both  Japa- 
nese and  missionaries  believe  that  the 
thousands  who  have  left  the  home- 
land must  not  be  abandoned  to  the 
evil  influences  and  loose  moral  stand- 
ards that  tempt  them  but  must  be 
supplied  with  faithful  shepherds. 

There  are  more  than  100,000  Japa- 
nese now  living  in  Korea,  Seoul,  the 
capital,  and  Fusan,  the  southern  port 
and  railway  terminus,  having  15,000 
to  18,000  each  and  other  ports  and 
railway  centers  from  2,000  to  12,000 
each.  Many  other  groups  are  scat- 
tered all  over  the  country,  and  the 
numbers  are  increasing  by  from  fifty 
to  a hundred  daily. 

Among  these  there  are  numerous 
Christians  and  students  of  Christian 
truth  who  discover  one  another  and 
sometimes  organize  for  Bible  study 
and  prayer.  The  great  difficulty  is 
to  find  a place  of  meeting.  The 
houses  are  often  small  and  scarce, 
the  rents  high,  and  many  men  are 
without  their  families  and  have  no 
home.  Another  difficulty  is  that  men 
in  government  employ  are  frequently 
moved  so  that  the  leader  of  a group 
may  be  called  away  at  short  notice, 
and  leave  no  one  of  sufficient  zeal 
and  determination  to  hold  the  rest 
together. 

The  present  need  is  for  workers 
who  can  travel  arriong  these  groups, 
encouraging  and  strengthening  them, 
until  they  are  able  to  obtain  and  sup- 
port competent  pastors.  It  is  this 
work  for  which  we  are  looking  to  God 
for  grace,  wisdom  and  strength  to 
do,  for  the  need  is  sore  and  there 


WITH  THE  JAPANESE  VANGUARD  IN  KOREA 


is  a cry  for  help  going  up  from  many 
children  in  Christ. 

Aside  from  two  ladies-  of  the  An- 
glican High  Church  (and  one  clergy- 
man now  absent),  we  are  the  only  mis- 
sionaries yet  appointed  to  reside  here 
for  work  among  these  colonists. 
There  are  five  Japanese  workers  from 
the  Methodist  and  Congregational 
Churches  in  Japan  and  one  from  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  These  are  sta- 
tioned in  four  large  centers  and  some 
of  them  report  a very  encouraging 
work.  The  Methodist  worker  in 
Pyeng  Yang  was  greatly  blest  dur- 
ing the  time  of  the  Spirit’s  out-pour- 
ing among  the  Korean  Christians  in 
that  city,  last  winter.  These  men  visit 
neighboring  places  occasionally  but 
this  is  all  that  has  been  done  thus  far 
by  Japanese  speaking  workers.  God 
has  not  been  unmindful  of  His  scat- 
tered flock  in  other  places.  Five 
years  ago  He  laid  the  burden  of  the 
unsaved  Japanese  and  Chinese  resi- 
dents on  the  hearts  of  men  who  were 
already  carrying  a heavy  burden  for 
the  millions  of  Korea.  He  strength- 
ened them  to  plan  and  begin  regular 
work  among  the  Japanese,  and  for 
three  or  four  years  the  members  of 
the  various  Presbyterian  Missions 
united  in  one  council,  have  been  help- 
ing to  support  a Japanese  evangelist. 
Some  of  the  Korea  missionaries  have 
sought  to  do  what  was  possible  for 
those  near  them,  using  English  as  a 
means  of  communication.  During  the 
last  year  God  has  also  stirred  up  the 
hearts  of  many  among  missionaries  and 
Korean  Christians,  to  pray  for  these 
hosts  of  strangers  within  the  gates. 

It  is  difficult  for  those  not  on  the 
ground  to  realize  how  fast  the  Japa- 
nese are  becoming  the  doininant  fac- 


tor in  Korea,  and  how  sorely  they 
need  the  Gospel. 

Japan  is  rapidly  giving  to  Korea 
the  material  elements  of  civilization. 
A railroad  is  in  operation  from  Fusan 
in  the  south  to  Wiju  by  the  Yalu  in 
the  north,  and  other  lines  are  in  proc- 
ess of  construction ; good  roads, 
water-works  and  improved  sanitation 
are  on  the  way,  and  already  the  more 
advanced  Koreans,  in  spite  of  many 
grievous  sorrows  and  burdens  heavy 
to  be  borne,  are  realizing  some  advan- 
tages from  Japanese  occupation. 

But  the  nation  has  passed  from  ex- 
uberant admiration  and  joy  over  Ja- 
pan’s prowess  to  intense  distrust  and 
bitter  hatred,  in  many  sections  of  the 
country.  In  some  parts  of  the  north, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  strenuous  ex- 
ertions of  the  Christians  and  the  influ- 
ence of  the  missionaries,  there  would 
have  been  much  bloodshed  dur- 
ing the  last  few  months.  The  feeling 
here  on  both  sides  reminds  us  of  the 
tales  of  early  England  when  Saxons 
and  Normans  refused  to  mingle. 

The  Christian  Church  and  Christian 
standards  of  living  have  gained  such 
a high  place  in  this  land  that  the 
overbearing  and  unfeeling  conduct 
of  the  rougher  class  of  Japanese  here, 
is  looked  upon  not  merely  as  a cause 
for  resentment  but  for  contempt  or 
pity.  A Korean  chair-coolie  who  was 
beaten  around  the  head  by  a Japanese 
whom  he  had  jostled,  remarked,  as 
he  quietly  rubbed  his  head,  “He’s  a 
pitiable  creature.” 

The  better  class  of  Japanese  realize 
in  some  measure  the  tremendous  moral 
need  among  their  fellow  colonists, 
and  some  of  those  in  high  position, 
tho  not  themselves  Christians,  are 
ready  to  support  Christian  work  here. 


THE  MISSIONARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  WORLD 


The  only  hope  of  any  real  and 
speedy  bond  of  union  between  these 
two  countries  is  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  the  hearts  of  Japanese  and 
Korean  Christians. 

By  God’s  blessing,  within  the  next 
ten  years,  if  the  Church  in  America 
will  do  its  part,  this  whole  nation 
may  be  reached  with  the  Gospel. 
Korea  is  fast  becoming  Christian,  and, 
if  Japan  does  not  soon  respond  to 
God’s  call  to  her,  there  is  the  prospect 
of  a Christian  people,  producing  the 
first-fruits  of  true  life,  brought  under 
the  sway  of  a nation  yet  dead,  who 
have  appropriated  the  fruit  of  cen- 
turies of  Christian  growth,  but  who 
refuse  to  share  the  life  which  alone  can 
make  those  fruits  sweet  and  whole- 
some and  bring  them  to  perfection. 
A Christian  nation  ruled  by  another 
whose  real  God  is  National  Glory ! 
It  will  be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the 
Christian  Church  if  this  becomes  a 
fact.  Every  man  and  woman  who  is 
“looking  for  the  Kingdom  of  God” 
and  faithfully  seeking  to  hasten  its 
coming  ought  to  consider  this. 

An  educated  Japanese  Christian 
residing  here  was  asked,  “What  do 
you  think  will  be  the  outcome  of  Japa- 
nese occupation  in  Korea?” 

“I  think,”  he  replied,  “that  the 
Koreans  will  gradually  move  into  the 
interior  and  leave  the  Japanese  to 
occupy  the  coasts.”  That  might  have 
been  the  result  had  Japan  come  twen- 
ty-five years  ago,  but  God  did  not  per- 
mit it  then.  Now  the  mighty  force  of 
Resurrection  Life  is  working  here 
among  this  people  and  by  God’s  grace 
the  forces  of  destruction  will  not  pre- 
vail. As  God  raised  up  Nebuchad- 
nezzar and  Cyrus,  who  knew  Him 
not,  and  caused  them  to  work  His  will, 
setting  them  aside  in  His  good  time — 


so  He  is  using  Japan  in  these  Eastern 
lands.  God  grant  she  may  become  a 
willing  instrument  in  Flis  hands  so 
that  “the  time”  of  her  own  land  need 
not  come  as  it  did  to  Babylon. 

The  Japanese  scorn  the  idea  of 
amalgamation  with  the  Koreans  and 
on  many  accounts — considering  the 
history  and  condition  of  Korea — one 
can  not  wonder.  There  are  however 
some  valuable  traits  among  Koreans 
which  are  lacking  in  the  ordinary 
Japanese  character,  and  if  it  be  the 
Lord’s  good  pleasure  to  weld  them, 
as  He  did  Saxon  and  Norman,  it 
may  that  the  world  will  see  another 
mighy  intrument  in  God’s  hand. 

Japan  is  not  a Christian  nation  and 
in  spite  of  Japan’s  rapid  progress 
along  so  many  lines  we  can  not  expect 
of  her  any  other  policy  and  methods 
than  those  of  civilized  expediency  and 
self-interest.  Who  shall  judge  her? 
Shall  her  great  ally  whose  ships, 
breathing  out  destruction  and  slaugh- 
ter, brought  unmeasured  wo  to  China, 
condemn  Japan  for  securing,  from 
Chinese  and  Korean,  revenue  for  her 
“money-eating”  enterprises  by  means 
of  the  same  deadly  agent?  Or  shall 
the  countries  whose  terrible  “fire-wa- 
ter” has  burnt  up  all  manliness,  hope 
and  courage  in  countless  dark-skinned 
brothers  ? 

No ! Let  the  Christian  Church  clear 
its  too  long-dazzled  eyes  and  see  that 
the  forces  of  worldliness  are  working 
here  as  elsewhere.  “The  Prince  of 
the  powers  of  the  air.  . . .now'worketh 
in  the  children  of  disobedience”  here, 
and  it  is  for  us,  and  all  who  hold  the 
Kingdom  dear,  to  humble  ourselves 
in  the  dust  and  confess  our  sins  and 
the  sins  of  our  own  nation  and  cry 
unto  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  that 
His  Kingdom  may  come  in  power. 


BUILDING  THE  CHURCH  AT  SEOUL,  KOREA 

Letter  from  Rev.  J.  S.  Gale,  D.D.,  Seoul,  Korea 

Our  Church  building  was  too  small.  The  members  had  patched  up  a Korean 
tiled  house  and  pieced  it  out,  lengthened  it,  and  covered  over  the  central  court  so 
that  five  hundred  people  could  sit  in  a building,  which  originally  at  its  widest  ca- 
pacity was  meant  for  about  fifty.  But  there  was  no  further  room  for  wings  and 
annexes  and  the  congregation  had  outgrown  it.  What  were  they  to  do?  That  was 
the  question.  At  a meeting  held  August  last,  one  member  thought  it  would  be 
better  to  wait  a year.  At  once  half  a dozen  were  on  their  feet,  “What?  Wait?” 
Another  said,  “Collect  the  money  first  and  then  build.”  Wise  surely,  but  that  too 
was  voted  down.  “Put  up  a smaller  building  and  add  to  it,”  suggested  Helper  Pak. 
“No,  no,  no,  we’ve  added  to  enough,  and  not  any  more  ‘smallish’  please.”  “Then 
what  do  we  require?”  “A  building  that  will  seat  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thou- 
sand. We  want  it  up  at  once,  to  start  now  and  finish  before  winter.  We  would 
like  it  paid  for  before  we  enter  it  for  services.”  Elder  Ko  summed  up  the  mixed 
thought  of  the  meeting  by  saying,  “I  notice  that  God  gives  when  we  ask  Him.  Shall 
we  not  ask  as  we  go  and  go  forward?  The  site  costing  $500  we  have  already  paid 
for  and  we  have  some  money  to  begin  on;  I propose  that  we  begin.” 

The  following  Sunday  we  met  under  an  awning  wide  enough  to  cover  two  thou- 
sand people.  The  opening  of  the  service  was  favorable,  the  hymn  was  sung  through, 
and  then,  just  as  we  were  about  to  read,  a fearful  gust  of  wind  split  the  awning  down 
the  middle  and  the  Churchgoers  scattered  in  all  directions  to  escape  the  falling 
bamboo. 

Until  the  new  church  was  up  it  was  decided  to  meet  separately,  the  men  in  the 
morning  and  the  women  in  the  afternoon.  This  makes  a*  poor  meeting,  but  it  was 
the  best  we  could  do.  Meanwhile,  logs  were  being  carried  up  the  hill,  eight  men  at 
each  end.  With  one  end  pinned  down  and  the  other  resting  over  a block-log  high 
in  the  air,  they  went  at  it  with  saws  and  wedges.  Beams,  ports,  braces,  rafters, 
grists,  flooring,  window-panes,  piece  by  piece,  were  all  cut  out  by  hand,  from  the 
original  logs  that  had  stood  as  sentinels  of  the  wilderness  for  a hundred  years,  till 
called  ruthlessly  to  jostle  their  way  down  the  river  to  the  City  of  Seoul. 

Not  noiselessly  like  Solomon’s  Temple,  but  with  much  pounding  and  hammering, 
late  and  early,  the  men  were  at  work  like  bees,  until,  on  December  ist,  the  building 
was  finished  and  we  moved  in  for  the  opening  service. 

Two-thirds  of  the  cost  had  been  raised  by  the  Korean  Christians  themselves. 
Many  a dinner  had  been  foregone  that  the  money  might  go  into  the  church,  and 
many  a new  dress.  Silver  hairpins  with  jade  ornaments  and  rings  had  found  their 
way  into  the  collection  plate.  Some  members  had  paid  as  high  as  a hundred  dollars 
subscription,  some  fifty,  some  twenty;  many  had  paid  twenty-five  cents,  week  after 
week,  until  these  small  sums  also  amounted  to  many  dollars. 

At  the  close,  in  our  hour  of  need,  Mr.  Severance  gave  us  $250,  and  Mrs.  Kennedy 
of  New  York  gave  $1,000,  which  paid  off  the  remainder-— a new  church  that  would 
hold  1,500  people  and  no  debt,  surely  it  was  cause  for  rejoicing. 

On  December  8th,  the  opening  day,  the  church  was  packed  to  the  doors,  and  a 
great  crowd  outside  was  unable  to  get  in.  In  the  East  flags  and  lanterns  are  the 
ordinary  objects  of  decoration,  but  flags  of  all  nations-  were  out  of  place  in  church, 
so  we  improvised  a new  kind  of  ornamentation,  that  will  doubtless  be  used  hereafter. 
On  colored  papers  cut  like  flag  decorations,  we  had  written  in  Chinese  and  Korean, 
“Eternal  Life,”  “Righteousness,”  “Regeneration,”  “Peace,”  “Paradise,”^  “Glory,” 
“Thanksgiving,”  etc.,  etc.,  until  the  whole  ceiling  was  a world  of  expressions  from 
the  Scripture. 

Mr.  Reynolds  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Mission  led  in  the  opening  prayer. 
Scripture  passages  were  repeated  by  the  children,  a hymn  was  sung  by  the  school- 
girls, and  then  came  the  sermon.  High  up  over  the  platform  were  the  ideographs 
meaning  “Eternal  Life.”  How  to  attain  to  this  was  the  theme  of  the  day.  It  was  to 
be  illustrated,  part  by  part,  by  a ladder  like  Jacob’s,  that  went  up  to  Heaven.  One 
little  girl  in  clear  accents  that  could  be  heard  all  through  the  building  spoke  a lesson  on 
Faith,  and  Deacon  Kim  placed  one  post  of  the  ladder  marked  “Shin”  (Faith),  point- 
ing toward  Eternal  Life.  Then  one  of  the  junior  boys  spoke  I Corinthians,  xiii,  and 
the  second  post  of  the  ladder  was  marked  “Love.”  Now  the  rungs  were  put  in 
place,  five  of  them  marked  “Repentance,”  with  verses  recited  by  one  of  the^^^ys. 
“Prayer”  was  illustrated  by  passages  chosen  here  and  there  frorn  Scripture.^ 
fession  of  Christ”  was  marked  by  the  middle  schoolgirls  singing  Tdl  it  Out. 
“Endurance”  was  emphasized  by  the  former  Secretary  of  the  Cabinet, 
now  a teacher  in  the  Boys’  Middle  School,  and  “Thanksgiving  by  Elder  Chi.  1 he 
theme  was  closed  by  the  girls  singing  “Nearer  My  God  to  Thee  very  ^autimlly. 

This  was  the  way  to  Eternal  Life;  Trust  God,  Love  Him,  Confess  to  Him,  Fray 
to  Him,  Preach  like  Him,  Suffer  for  Him,  Thank  Him. 


THE  TEMPORARY  TENT  ERECTED  FOR  SERVICES  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  SEOUL 


CHRISTIANS  COMING  FROM  A SERVICE  IN  THE  NEW  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  SEOUL 


